More Americans than ever are working from home. Initially a temporary solution to the pandemic, many companies are now moving toward more permanent work-from-home setups, with long-term plans that involve employees visiting the office just once or twice a week.
For the introverted homebodies among us, this is great news. But for those of us who enjoy the camaraderie of an office setting, this could be seen as less-than-ideal. If you’re in the latter camp, take this into consideration: By working from home, you’re likely saving a significant amount of money by not commuting.
Research from Frontier Business found the average American loses $2 per hour driving to work each day—a number that’s as high as $5 or $6 per hour in cities like New York and Washington, D.C. If you have a one-hour commute each way, that translates to a whopping $1,040 per year. That number climbs to over $5,000 per year in New York City.
The next time you’re feeling down about the shift you’ve had to make by working from home, think of all the money you’re saving by setting up shop at home. We guarantee you’ll feel less guilty about your daily latte at the local coffee shop.
MagnifyMoney, a personal finance resource, looked at data from the U.S. Census Bureau to figure out which U.S. cities are the best for working remotely. They took into consideration the number of residents who worked from home, their earning power relative to in-office workers, cost of living, housing costs and average commute time.
The results? The 10 best cities to work from home in the U.S. are:
1. Gilbert, Arizona
2. Atlanta
3. Aurora, Colorado
4. Seattle
5. Tampa, Florida
6. Denver
7. Chandler, Arizona
8. Chicago
9. Plano, Texas
10. Scottsdale, Arizona
The three worst cities to work remotely? Toledo, Ohio; El Paso, Texas; and Greensboro, North Carolina.
This article originally appeared in the September/October 2020 issue of SUCCESS magazine.
Photo by @kayp/Twenty20.com
